German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday he sees no chance of Ukraine joining the European Union in the near future.
“Accession on January 1, 2027, is out of the question. It’s not possible,” Merz said on Wednesday after talks with his coalition partners in Berlin.
Any country that wants to join the EU must first meet the Copenhagen criteria, a process that usually takes several years, the chancellor noted.
However, he emphasized that Ukraine needs a perspective that paves the way for accession in the longer term. “We can slowly bring Ukraine closer to the European Union along the way.”
“That is always possible, but such a rapid accession is simply not feasible,” Merz said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday reiterated his demand for EU membership for his country as early as 2027.
“Ukraine’s accession to the European Union is one of the key security guarantees not only for us, but also for all of Europe,” he wrote on X after a telephone conversation with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker.
“Europe’s collective strength is possible, in particular, thanks to Ukraine’s security, technological, and economic contributions,” Zelensky continued.
Merz: Peace negotiations are the priority
With regard to ending the war with Russia, Merz said there are other priorities at the moment.
“We are in close contact with the US and Ukrainian delegations. We have also drafted the documents together, and it is good that direct talks are now being held between Ukraine and Russia,” he said.
“We are accompanying these talks with great support and the great hope that they will come to a conclusion as soon as possible.”
Foreign Minister Wadephul calls for fair chance of accession
Merz’s comments came after his party colleague and foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, said Ukraine deserves a fair chance to join the EU.
“A lasting peace architecture in Europe requires that Ukraine has a fair chance of joining the European Union,” Wadephul said on Wednesday during a question and answer session in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament.
Wadephul did not comment on a possible date for such an accession.
However, the foreign minister had already made it clear with regard to accession candidates in the Western Balkans that there could be no prospect of shortcuts for Kiev.
Wadephul said in the Bundestag: “One of the key security guarantees that we can give Ukraine at this time, and in my view must give, is a realistic prospect of joining the European Union.”
Such a step may seem a long way off today, Wadephul said. But it remains in the core interest of Germany and Europeans to ensure that Ukraine can win its fight against the Russian aggressor, he asserted.
(L-R) Minister-President of Bavaria Markus Soeder, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Baerbel Bas and German Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeil attend a press conference on the coalition committee at the Chancellery. Fabian Sommer/dpa